The making of the modular from A-Blast TV on Vimeo.

In an effort to relieve overcrowding, a new module is being built behind AHS. Its target completion date is Columbus Day.

Those were just a few of the encouraging words spoken before a range of emotions broke through the stadium of the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey when one of the top television shows in the country made their fourth out of six audition stops this summer.

American Idol recently started auditions for their tenth season, beginning in Nashville, Tennessee, and ending in San Francisco, California on August 19.

Armed with the knowledge that the age restriction for auditioning had dropped this season from 16 to 15, I decided to follow my dream of sharing music with the world on one of the most popular singing competitions in the country.

I soon snapped on my wristband, which marked me as a potential contestant, and joined the sea of thousands of hopeful competitors in line to register for this exciting opportunity.

Viewers at home have no idea how aggravating the actual audition process can be, as so much goes on behind the scenes.

For the first round, some of the show’s producers, who are each looking for something different, sit at tables in the center of the audition venue and call the contestant hopefuls up four at a time.

Should a potential contestant pass this round, he moves on to another group of producers, who determine whether or not this candidate will fly out to audition before the celebrity judges.

It really does come down to luck when it comes to which producer the contestant auditions in front of, as some prefer to hear about the candidate’s background while others like to get straight to singing. Some only allow contestants to sing for about ten seconds before cutting them off.

Although we were advised to introduce ourselves to the producers and give them a taste of our stories at the start of our auditions, the producers truly preferred that we step up and just get to singing.

While I understand that the producers have a massive amount of people to get through and listening to each and every person’s story takes up valuable time, I believe that the producers might find that knowledge of contestant’s personalities makes a world of difference on the show.

I went into the audition thinking that showcasing my own songs would give me an advantage, as they give insight into who I really am. However, I received a judge who was not interested in hearing any original songs and cut me off after only a few bars.

Caught a little off guard, I scrambled to think of a song that the producer would know. After the four people in my group had finished singing, the producer told us all that we had potential and should never stop singing, but that he was going to have to pass on sending any of us to the next round.

Although I was not feeling devastated as they snipped off my wristband, which is the official symbol of being cut from the competition, I was feeling very disappointed that they were not looking for original people with their own songs and a voice, but were looking for people who fit a certain mold and would bring higher ratings.

To be honest, after witnessing all of the auditions before mine, most of the people with the best voices and talent were cut from the show because one producer, who had very specific ideas of who they wanted to move on, decided their fate.

However, that is how the business works. Audience members watching the auditions often chanted in an attempt to bring back some of the more talented individuals who were cut and booed when people without talent but in ludicrous costumes were sent to the next round.

Many people who had come to audition left before going in front of a producer because they found the judging experience too unfair.

In the end, this was not really a talent competition, as the producers were casting a show.

The memorial service for Ralph E. Buckley, the first prinicpal of AHS, was held today at the Little River United Church of Christ.

He passed away on July 17 at age 95 after staying in Inova Hospital for a month. Buckley is attributed to having played a significant role in helping build AHS into the school it is today.

He not only hired all staff members for the school, but designed most of the curriculum as well. He was quoted recently as saying that his time serving the AHS community was “precious.”

After being principal for twelve years, Buckley left AHS to serve as Assistant Superintendent for Fairfax County. He retired in 1976.

Even after retiring, Buckley stayed committed to the education of others by serving as a weekend administrator at Northern Virginia Community College.

He also kept busy by staying involved with his church and being a member of the Lions Club.

Although Buckley’s physical light may no longer shine, the positive impact he left on the AHS community will never fade.

The writer/director behind the new hit movie has filled it with so many layers of complexities that it resembles the convoluted dream worlds the characters spend their time creating.

The plot revolves around the movie’s main character, Cobb, played expertly by Leonardo DiCaprio. The renegade hero is a master at extraction, the art of pervading victims’ dreams to remove their most valuable or debilitating secrets.

Extraction is a delicate and often dangerous process. Cobb and his team must first envision and create dream worlds that relate to their victims and the secrets they keep, a sort of architectural feat that requires many different layers and pitfalls to prevent their target from realizing they are infiltrating his psyche.

The team then has to find a way to connect the victim into the world they have created, which they do by means of specially composed music and potent sleeping pills, and then put themselves into the dream.

The last step is to remove and deliver the information to their employers, who then use it to their advantage.

Sound complicated? The plot becomes even more involved. DiCaprio plays a powerful man, one who realizes the complexities of constructing dreams that seem realistic to the target and understands the many different emotions that rule humans and govern the outcome of the extraction process.

Two things make extraction even more difficult. One is that, according to the rules of dreaming that Nolan sets down, the target and the people that populate their dream, their “projections,” can quickly realize when outsiders have invaded the world. When they do, it becomes nasty.

The second issue in the process stems from Cobb himself. The man has his own inner demons, specifically his late wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), which he is unable to contain. Cobb and Mal loved each other with an almost idealistic intensity, partners both in life and the field of dream manipulation.

After a series of tragic occurrences led to Mal’s death, Cobb lost himself in memories, unable to separate his own past from his work. Mal, who Cotillard plays eerily and beautifully, and Cobb’s other memories are often projected into his target’s dreams, with disastrous results.

In order to fully understand the various rules and guidelines of extraction, it is necessary to see the film. The overarching storyline of the movie is relatively easy to explain.

Cobb is hired by a powerful energy executive (Saito, played by Ken Watanabe) not to steal an idea or secret, but to plant one. Saito hopes to encourage the son of a rival energy corporation’s CEO to dismantle his father’s empire, preventing the company from achieving a world-wide monopoly on power. In return, he promises to help Cobb return to his family in the U.S, where he has been accused of killing his wife.

Despite the difficulty and danger of the process (called inception), Cobb agrees, and gathers together a talented team, including Arthur, his extraction associate (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a roguish forger and master of deception named Eames (Tom Hardy), Yusef, a brilliant chemist (Dileep Rao), and a young and ingenious architecture student named Ariadne (played by Ellen Page).

The film progresses at a breakneck pace, and includes some really wonderful examples of artistic allusion. It is no wonder that Ariadne, the architect responsible for constructing the complex, maze-like dream necessary for inception, is named after the mythical Greek woman who helped Theseus navigate through the labyrinth containing the devious Minotaur.

The most pleasurable aspect of Inception, however, is that it is a hard-to-find novelty amongst the bountiful products of Hollywood: a movie that requires the viewer to think while watching it. The main point that Nolan tries to convey in his work is that it is difficult to separate reality from fantasy, what with the distinct and totally unique viewpoints that cloud humans’ perception of the world they populate.

Just as the characters in the film use their own personal experience to navigate and influence the dream they have created, trying to successfully implant an idea, the movie’s various layers call on the audience to draw from what they have seen and interpret and shape their own view of its ultimate meaning.

Inception is not a film for the lazy movie-goer; following the plot line requires some thought, and the audience leaves the theater without a full understanding of the events which just took place.

It deserves attendance, however, not just because of the quality of the acting or the bewitching special effects, but because Nolan has achieved a work that will cause viewers to reflect on the nature of reality and the true meaning of the film long after it drops from the box office queue.

Overall Grade: A

Arabian Adventure from A-Blast TV on Vimeo.

A-Blast videographer Gwen Levey shows us her summer vacation to the United Arab Emirates and Oman

As you enter this family-owned restaurant, the staff will greet you with a smile that is often too rare in this world of efficiency and indifference, and tell you that any table that is open is yours.

There is usually only one waiter on-duty, but another ready to spring into action should the restaurant become crowded. Inside, with a room that fits no more than forty, the noise level is kept to a minimum.

In fact, on a nice day, there is an outside patio where you can sit and dine in the open air, reminiscent of the European restaurants after which the Eatery is modeled.

The usual crowd contains lawyers and officials on lunch breaks from the courthouse, students from nearby George Mason University, and of course, passer-bys attracted to the restaurants atmosphere.

Once you sit down, you will notice the sparsely decorated room and the outdated booths. However the most important thing- the food – smells wonderful.

Although a small Greek and Italian restaurant, the menu offers a smorgasbord of European, along with American, cuisine.

Havabite has many great entrees such as various pastas and appetizers; however, their two specialties, pizza and gyros, stand out.

I happened to order a small 9” white pizza with gyro meat, which is more than enough for one sitting and cost only $6.40. This great price is worth the meal. The pizza was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

We also ordered their gyro sandwich for $6.50 and a highly recommended plate of fries to share for $1.95. For this hearty lunch we spent $18.10, which included the heavy Town of Fairfax restaurant tax.

For dessert, you can get a plate of homemade baklava, a bowl of rice pudding, or one of their various specialty cakes.

Havabite also offers delicious entrees such as an amazing chicken parmesan, baked lasagna, shish kabob, and of course, the classic bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.

For a group of two, this great lunch or dinner spot is the perfect place to spend under $20 for the perfect homemade-style meal.

As thrill-seekers, such as my friends and I, worked our way through the relatively short line, we were greeted by NASCAR racecars and cutouts of racing great Dale Earnhardt, a theme which continued throughout the ride. After getting strapped into the ride, which seats two to a row, we were towed up the first hill with remarkable speed; I barely had enough time to get nervous for the big drop.

As I rounded the first peak and caught a glimpse of the 85 degree drop ahead, my heart plummeted. I barely had time to get out a scream before we were flying along the tracks at breakneckspeeds. As we pulled out of the drop and into an almost horizontal curve, the edges of my vision faded from gray to black and I eventually lost sight entirely, a phenomenon experienced by each of my friends as well. For more information on loss of vision on roller coasters, check this out.

However, as soon as we came up the next hill, my vision returned and I was able to scream my way over the next 150 ft drop. While the track does not feature any loops or corkscrews, there are several sudden twists in the track that add an extra unexpected thrill to the ride.

Overall, the ride left me with very few complaints. The safety system, which many riders had complained was uncomfortable and scratchy, had been reworked by the time of my visit, meaning that the shoulder pads were secure and comfortable. Although the ride reaches extreme speeds, the straps hold riders snugly in their seats, leaving little room for the uncomfortable bouncing around that takes place on other coasters.

The line, which only took us half an hour to get through during the busiest part of our Wednesday visit, could have used a little more decoration to keep us occupied during our wait. While there was a clear NASCAR theme, the line was not decorated as interestingly as other Kings Dominion attractions, such as their indoor coaster, Flight of Fear.

However, other than the less than lavishly decorated line, the ride was absolutely perfect. The seats were comfortable, the drops long and fast and the thrill incredible. To read more about the coaster, check out it’s website.

Beginning in 1990 Adams took on the highly coveted job of being the AHS head football coach after studying for seven years under Hall of Fame AHS coach Bob Hardage.  Under his tenure the Atoms won seven District Championships, three Regional Championships, and two State Championships.

Alumni player and now friend Maurice Daniels spoke to honor his coach.  He spoke of three attributes instilled in him by Adams: hardwork, never giving up, and being yourself.

“I use these things in my everyday life,” said Daniels.

Senior Jack Velazquez also spoke on behalf of this years senior class.  His inspiring speech told of the life lessons taught to him by Adams.  Like Daniels, hard work was an important thing to Velasquez.

Richard Adams will still remain in the building both as the Assistant Athletic Director and as a physical education teacher.

“What I’ll miss the most is the coaching the kids,  I loved getting down in the dirt and teaching the kids to play,” said Adams.

At the end of the night, 11 awards were given out by the five faculty member judges, including top Jury Prize to Tomorrow’s Life by juniors Samantha Pokraka, Rackel Jurdi and Sandra Abiloma. The coveted audience choice award went to the documentary Like by juniors Emma Barker, Tyler Britton, Chris Marshall and Lance Miller.

The IB Film students had planned, initiated and worked for months to present their movies at the Film Festival. These films are produced at various settings and were edited by those juniors and seniors who are enrolled in the class.

There was a total of over twenty music videos, mocumentaries, documentaries, mystery, comedy, or drama movies contributed to the festival this year.

As first time directors and editors, many juniors encountered challenges, such as using software programs and cameras.

Junior Arish Ali, the director and Best Cinematography winner for Street of Embers said, “[I had] no editing software available and had trouble exporting the finished product from the computer.”

Many junior students were unfamiliar with the equipments and programs that are used in creating films.

“I couldnt get a hold of the proper sound equipment from Mr. [Alan] Weintraut before one of our shoots so we had a few sound issues that I couldnt quite fix in post production that the judges made us pay for,” said junior Henry Smith, the director and Best Screenplay award winner for Memory.

Ali added, “I feel proud of the award because it was for a project that me and my team put a lot of hours into and believed in.”

Meanwhile, two of the junior class films won top two awards: Tomorrow’s Life by Samantha Pokraka, Rackel Jurdi and Sandra Abilmona won the Jury Prize, and Zombie Eric by Liam McGhee received Jury Prize Runner-Up.

The students were also pressured to make their films as professional as possible. Junior Katie Masters, who worked with fellow junior Caroline Kane on Just Another Day’s Adventure said, “Caroline and I had problems with our first movie because we had envisioned a situation that called for three adult roles, but we could not get three adult actors, and so we tried to rely on high school students.”

For that reason, Masters and Kane had to change the whole plot of their film.

Despite each student’s efforts, the poor audio system quality at the auditorium caused the students to panic and the audience to become puzzled.

Because of inadequate sound system in the auditorium, students’ messages in films were not clearly conveyed to the audience.

“I felt sick to my stomach for the students who had sound problems–it was the fault of the school’s crappy sound system,” said IB Film teacher Alan Weintraut.

Through challenges, students have developed their skills, overcame their obstacles during the making of films, and all participants were able to submit their projects before the festival.

“I’m very proud of all the efforts of the film students. This was the largest line-up we’ve ever had,” said Weintraut.

All films shown at this year’s film festival can be seen on YouTube under AHSstudentfilms.

On Friday, May 28th, students were able to pick up their pre-ordered yearbooks, or pay in cash, and start reminiscing on all the past events this year brought. If seeing the pictures of all their friends and classmates is not enough, most people prefer to fill the first and last few pages with signatures and notes from the friends they’ve made throughout the year.

The creative theme this year, “Leave your mark,” has inspired many to actually do so. Most people just wish each other a happy summer, but some take their time and actually write a heart filled paragraph about what has happened over the school year.

“Signing yearbooks can get pretty annoying, but in the long run it’s worth it,” senior Stephen Novak said.

Each year, students are becoming more imaginative with what they plan to write. Acronyms are very common, some are well known as some are just made up. “H.A.G.S. is an acronym I always use to sign yearbooks. It stands for, Have A Great Summer,” freshman James Terrell said.

Many people really enjoy and look forward to the end of the year because of yearbook signing. “It’s a way for people to give their last remarks before summer break. I also like looking back and reading what people had to say,” sophomore Ashlyn Nisker stated.

Whether it’s an entire page of flashbacks, or just a simple signature, how will you Leave Your Mark?